Community Calendar

The Cortez Journal encourages people to submit announcements about upcoming events for the Community Calendar. Send announcements to news@cortezjournal.com. Items submitted at least two weeks in advance will have a better chance of getting published; items submitted several days before the event might not get published. For more information, call the Journal at 565-8527.

Chimney Choir plays the Dolores River Brewery

The band Chimney Choir has recently returned from a European tour and will be playing a handful of Colorado mountain towns this summer. See them perform at Dolores River Brewery, 100 N. 4th St., on Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. Chimney Choir skillfully interweaves genres resulting in a “folk meets world music sound, steeped in psychedelia.” All multi-instrumentalists, writers and singers, Kevin Larkin, David Rynhart and Kris Drickey change instruments (sometimes within a song) and sing in three-part harmony while balancing field recordings and computer synths with traditional acoustic instrumentation. In February, the trio released a new album “ladder” recorded live in front of a small audience inside of a pipe organ chapel. To learn more about them, check out www.chimneychoir.com. For more information about the show, call the Brewery at 882-4677.

Cortez Library August computer classes

The Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park St., will offer a series of computer training classes in August. All classes start at 1 p.m. On Thursday, Aug. 2, a class on Internet Maps and Google Earth will be held. On Friday, Aug. 10, the Southwest Colorado Workforce Center staff will teach computer classes on various aspects of finding a job on the Internet, including: registering with the Workforce Center; updating your Workforce registration; conducting job searches statewide; applying for unemployment insurance; resume preparation; and searching for State applications. On Thursday, Aug. 30, an Incredibly Basic Computer Skills class will be taught. This is our beginning class. If you have little or no computer skills, this is the class for you! All classes must be signed up for ahead of time, as space is limited. Sign up by calling the library at 565-8117 or by stopping by.

August theme for Cortez Public Library’s Storytime

“Wrapping Up Our Dreams” is the August theme of Raising Readers Storytime at the Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park St. Storytime is held every Thursday and Saturday at 10:30 a.m. for preschool-aged children. Older children are welcome to join in for the craft at 11:15 a.m. on Thursdays. Please note that the library has discontinued Friday Storytime. The Saturday Storytime is held, weather permitting, at the Cortez Farmers Market on the corner of Elm and Main Streets. All days of any particular week will follow the same theme except on Saturdays there will be no craft.

“Pajamarama” is the subject on Thursday, Aug. 2 and Saturday, Aug. 4. “Let’s Glow” will be discussed on Thursday, Aug. 9 and Saturday, Aug. 11. “Camping” will be presented on Thursday, Aug. 16 and Saturday, Aug. 18. The topic will be “Space Explorers” on Thursday, Aug. 23 and Saturday, Aug. 25. “Monsters Under the Bed, Really?” will wrap up the month on Thursday, Aug. 30 and Saturday, Sept. 1. Raising Readers Storytime offers songs, stories, crafts and silliness and uses the Early Childhood Literacy Initiative program. There’s still time to pick up a reading log for our Summer Reading Program, “Dream Big, Read!” Join to have a chance at a big prize drawing at the end August. For more information, contact the library at 565-8117.

Be a crew member at Cortez Hot Air Balloon Rendezvous

The Cortez Hot Air Balloon Rendezvous will take place at 6:30 a.m. on Friday through Sunday, Aug. 3-5, at Parque de Vida. Participating hot air balloons will be in Cortez from New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. This event is known as small-town flying at its best! This is a family event, so plan to bring along your kids and become crew for a hot air balloon — it is really a lot of fun. Be sure to wear tennis shoes and bring gloves, then get ready for a great experience. When the organizer, Cookie See, asks for crew, just step forward, and you will be assigned to a balloon. Balloon sponsors are welcome as well; contact Cookie to learn how your business can be a part of the Rendezvous. For more information or to be a sponsor, call Cookie at 505-977-2679.

Church holds Back to School Rummage Sale

The Presbyterian Women will hold their Back to School Rummage Sale on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 3 and 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The sale will be held in the Fellowship Hall of the Presbyterian church, 350 S. Washington. This will be an “open sale” with no pricing — make an offer. There will be the usual treasures, household items, bed linens, books, children’s clothing and toys, plus much more, including electrical items and plants. Come shop with us! Proceeds go toward our mission projects. For more information, call Gerry at 565-7024.

Rummage Sale will support M-CHS Marching Panthers

Come help support the M-CHS Marching Panthers! The Band Boosters will hold a Rummage Sale at the Notah Dineh parking lot from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4. Contact Kerri to make item donations for the sale and for more information at 801-259-0016.

Noted Buddhist teacher, author will speak, offer retreat

Noted Buddhist teacher and international best-selling author Lama Surya Das will speak in Durango on Saturday, Aug. 4 at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College. The event from 6 to 9 p.m. includes book signing and sales as well as a silent auction and Lama Surya’s presentation on Buddha Standard Time, which is the title of his latest book. Tickets for the event are $25 for adults and $18 for students. They may be purchased at the Community Concert Hall box office at 8th and Main St. in Durango, by phone at 247-7657, or at durangoconcerts.com. Lama Surya Das will also lead a day-long retreat from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 5 at the Durango Dharma Center. The program will be based on themes from Lama Surya’s best-selling book Awakening the Buddha Within. The cost for the retreat is on a sliding scale from $40 to $70 per person. Students may register for $30 each. Dana — the practice of generosity — may be offered to Lama Surya. Registration may be made through the Durango Dharma Center at DurangoDharmaCenter.org or by contacting Terry Leonard at tleonard@frontier.net and 799-0084.

Masonic Youth Car Wash fundraiser

The Masonic Youth will hold a car wash fundraiser on Sunday, Aug. 5 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Mobil station at Main and Washington St. Funds raised will help Bethel 42 of Job’s Daughters International to attend the Grand Session in Denver. The group assists hearing impaired kids in Colorado. For more information, call Halene West at 565-3279.

Summer Enrichment Programs at Medicine Horse

Medicine Horse Equine Therapy Center are holding their final Summer Enrichment Program of this season. Kids ages 7 through 12 will learn about horses and how to take care of them, learn how to ride bareback, do art projects, make horse treats and just have fun with horses. The advanced skills camp runs from Monday through Friday, Aug. 6-10. Camps go from 9 a.m. to noon. The cost is $120 and space is limited to six kids. For more information, contact Lynne at 533-7403 or info@medicinehorsecenter.org.

Planning meeting for Walk to End Alzheimer’s

The local Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be held on Saturday, Sept. 15 at the Cortez City Park, and there will be a meeting to plan the walk on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. at the Hospital Annex Room at 20 South Market. Anyone interested in helping with this year’s walk or wanting information on the local Alzheimer’s Association are welcome to attend. For more information, call Elaine at 259-0122 or Cindy at 749-2319.

Dickson will present ‘How to Get Ready for an Emergency’

The Mesa Verde Back Country Horsemen will present guest speaker Karen Dickson on the topic “How to Get Ready for an Emergency” on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at 7 p.m., at the Elks Lodge, 2100 N. Dolores Rd., on Hwy. 145 in Cortez. Come early at 6:15 p.m. for buy your own Taco Tuesday. Karen Dickson is the Regional Emergency Preparedness and Response Coordinator for Montezuma County and the Southwest Region. She is also the training officer for the Egnar Fire Department and former Firewise Coordinator for Montezuma County. Karen will speak on family emergency preparedness planning which will include how to create an evacuation kit and how to prepare for evacuating stock and pets during an emergency. Due to current fire danger in our area, this information will be valuable to all who attend. The public is always welcome! Call Nihla McCabe at 570-5036 for more information, or visit www.mesaverdehorsemen.com.

Archaeology lecture on 2 successors of Chaco cultural traditions

The Hisatsinom Chapter of the Colorado Archaeological Society is pleased to present Paul Reed on Tuesday, Aug. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market St., to discuss Chaos or Order: Salmon and Aztec in the post-Chacoan Pueblo III Period. In his presentation, Paul will discuss how these two successors of the Chaco cultural traditions developed on different tracks: a continuation of the Chaco tradition at the Aztec community whereas Salmon forged ahead as a non-Chacoan, local community. Paul Reed is a Preservation Archaeologist with Archaeology Southwest. For the past eleven years he has been the Chaco Scholar at Salmon Ruins. For more information, call Bob Bernhart at 739-6772.

Stray Birds trio will perform in Dolores

The Stray Birds will performing on Wednesday, Aug. 8, at the Dolores River Brewery, 100 S. 4th St., in Dolores. Drawing upon the richness of American folk music traditions, the signature power of The Stray Birds sound lies in outstanding songwriting that soars in three-part harmony. The Stray Birds are a trio with captivating chemistry and sensitive musicality. From bustling street corners to silent halls, their performances speak to an uncompromising reverence for songs. For more information, contact the Brewery at 882-4677.

M.A.D. Art Show artists’ reception

Are you mad about art? Join Vivienne Kenyon and Melissa McIntyre at an artists’ reception on Friday, Aug. 10 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Cortez Cultural Center, 25 N. Market St. The pair’s M.A.D. (Mother and Daughter) Art Show will run in the gallery Aug. 7 through Sept. 3. For more information, call 565-1151.

Registration deadline for Leadership Montezuma Fall class

Leadership Montezuma is now taking applications for their class beginning in September. Applications are due no later than Friday, Aug. 10. Leadership Montezuma is the way both locals and new arrivals learn in depth information about our community. Classes are one Thursday per month (all day) from September through May with a weekend orientation in September. Monthly topics range from Education to Natural Resources to Tourism and more. The $350 cost is usually paid for or shared by your employer. To learn more about this premier experience which has been drawing the community together since 1995, visit www.swcommunnityleadership.org or call Alex at 739-3626.

Final class of ‘Marketing for Smarties’ business series

The third class of the Marketing for Smarties Series will take place at the Welcome Center in Cortez, 928 E. Main St., on Wednesday, Aug. 15. Classes are from 1 to 5 p.m. This third installment of the 3-part series breaks marketing down into a step-by-step process, and helps to resolve a lot of the problems many small businesses encounter when trying to effectively promote their products and services. Recommended for new and existing businesses. The cost is $149, and scholarships for attending are available. Contact Lynn Asano at 247-7009 or asano_l@fortlewis.edu to register or for more information. You may also register online at www.coloradosbdc.org/workshop.aspx?ekey=170320037.

Children’s Kiva Open House, registration week

Join The Children’s Kiva Montessori School for our Fall Open House on Wednesday, Aug. 22, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at 1204 E. Empire St. in Cortez. There will be refreshments and door prizes! Registration week for the 2012-13 preschool and kindergarten school year is Monday through Saturday, Aug. 20-25. Tuition assistance is available. Check us out at www.childrenskiva.org or call 565-8586 for more information.

Community calendar

Email announcements to news@cortezjournal.com and include “Community Calendar” in the subject field. Items submitted less than two weeks in advance will be less likely to be published. Entries and the calendar may be edited for length and content.

Monday, March 2

The Montelores Early Childhood Council holds its monthly luncheon meeting at 11:45 a.m., in downstairs meeting room 110, in the Johnson...